This invention relates to surgical instruments, and in particular to surgical instruments having replaceable cutting implements.
Surgical instruments, for example for arthroscopy, typically include an inner drive member that rotates within an outer member (e.g., a tube). A cutting implement (e.g., a blade or a burr) carried at the distal end of the inner member cuts tissue that extends through a window located at or near the distal end of the outer member.
In some instruments the cutting implement is removably connected to the distal end of the inner member, allowing just the implement to be replaced should it become worn, contaminated, or otherwise unusable. Such a surgical instrument is for example disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,320,635, entitled "Surgical Device With Surgical Element Removably Connected to Drive Element," assigned to the present assignee and incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
To replace a removably connected cutting implement, the inner drive member is usually first withdrawn from the outer member and the old implement either dislodged from within the outer member or separated from the distal end of the inner member. Typically using a pair of tweezers, an operator (e.g., a surgeon or a nurse) then picks up a replacement implement and drops it into the outer member. The instrument is reassembled by reinstalling the inner member into the outer member.